Is Linaclotide safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Linaclotide. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Linaclotide is metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract to its active metabolite, MM-419447. Maternal Levels. In a multicenter study, 7 lactating women were taking linaclotide in doses of 72 mcg (n = 5), 145 mcg (n = 1) or 290 mcg (n = 1) once daily. Milk was pumped on day 1 and day 3 of the study. Over 24-hours of milk collection on day 3, concentrations of linaclotide and MM-419447 in milk samples were below the quantitation limits ( 0.25 mcg/L and 1 mcg/L, respectively) at all time points in all participants.[ 1 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Alternatives LactMed lists
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Linaclotide is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.